


A Million Little Times

by wonderwheelzier



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Jealousy, M/M, Pining, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25575445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wonderwheelzier/pseuds/wonderwheelzier
Summary: Lucas joins the football team and makes some new friends. It takes a bit to make Mike realize why that makes him so upset.
Relationships: Lucas Sinclair/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 17
Kudos: 43





	A Million Little Times

**Author's Note:**

> title from illicit affairs by taylor swift

Mike was happy for Lucas, he really was. He was confused, sure, but he was happy for him. If Lucas really did want to play football, then that was great for him, and Mike was glad he was doing things that made him happy. He just would’ve been happier about it if football wasn’t such a fucking cult. 

Lucas had practice three or four days a week and games once or twice a week, which meant that the time he had with the party was cut severely. Sure, they could hang out after dinner, and during lunch, and on the weekends, but it was still a lot to adjust to. Mike missed riding home with Lucas, he missed that little stretch of the ride when it was just the two of them. Sure, Mike had the car now that Nancy was away at college, so he wasn’t riding home anyway, but he had been excited about giving Lucas rides home, about taking the long way and getting slushies if they were feeling like it. But now he couldn’t, because Lucas didn’t get home until just around dinner time. And one of his football friends drove him home. Mike knew because he could see him getting dropped off from his window, he could see Lucas smiling at whoever was in the driver’s seat, his huge bag of equipment slung over his shoulder. It made Mike’s chest ache. 

It was even worse when he had to see him hanging out with them in school. Lucas still hung around Mike’s locker with the rest of the party most days, but now sometimes Mike would look around for him and find him down the hall surrounded by a group of people that was obnoxiously large for the small hallways of their school. 

It started making Mike angry when Lucas skipped out on lunch with them one day. He hadn’t even said anything, he was just suddenly not at their table, and Mike could see him across the room, hamming it up with this group of jock assholes. He even got one of those pretentious varsity jackets. Mike was only snapped out of his head because he was so tense about the whole thing he ended up biting his tongue so hard it nearly bled. It didn’t help that Dustin, Max, El, and Will were all joking about how Lucas was popular now, how he’d rigged the social ladder. Like this was funny. Like it was all some big joke that Lucas wasn’t sitting with them. 

If Mike was a bit short with Lucas later that day in chemistry, Lucas didn’t say anything about it.

The only thing that made Mike warm up to the idea was watching Lucas’s games. He loved watching him, loved that proud smile he got on his face. Pride welled in Mike’s chest when Lucas made a play, even if something more bitter stirred in his stomach when his teammates jumped on him to congratulate him. 

By October, Mike was still adjusting to Lucas’s new status. He was just getting the hang of it, seeing Lucas on the weekends and going to his games on Fridays, having lunch with him three days a week instead of five, accepting that he had to share him, when Lucas flipped his world upside down again.

“A party?” Mike asked, not bothering to hide his skepticism. 

“Yes, a party,” Lucas grinned. “You’re familiar with the concept?”

Mike rolled his eyes. “In theory.”

“ _ We’re  _ invited to a party?” Dustin cut in. Mike was secretly pleased that Dustin seemed to be as disbelieving as he was.

“Yeah, Mark’s parents are out of town so he told me to invite as many people as I want.”

“I’ll go if there’s vodka, but I’m not drinking beer,” Will said, making a face. 

Lucas laughed. “Trust me, there will be vodka.” He said it so confidently, like he’d been to  _ so many  _ parties. It made Mike wonder how many he  _ had  _ been to. He thought it was only two. Not that he’d been counting.

“I’ll go if El comes,” Max said, giving El an expectant and mischievous look.

_ Come on, El _ , Mike willed her silently. El wasn’t a party type. El was a sit quietly and watch romance movies with ice cream on a Saturday night type. She liked small get-togethers. She would say no, and then Max would say no, and then Mike could spend Saturday night with them.

“Why not,” El shrugged with a small smile.

_ Traitor _ , Mike thought to himself bitterly.

“Mike, you in?” Lucas asked. His hand on Mike’s shoulder made his heart race.

Mike sighed. “I guess you guys are gonna need a DD.”

The rest of them cheered as Mike crossed his arms. He really wasn’t looking forward to a house full of football bros sweating beer, but at least he would be with his friends, at least he could make sure they all got home safe. And if he was driving, he’d be dropping Lucas off last; he  _ was  _ looking forward to that.

Still, being the sober one sucked. His friends were all light weights, and they were all trashed within the first hour. Mike was awkward enough as it was; being the only sober one in a room full of people who didn’t even bother to glance his way made that awkwardness weigh on him all that much more. Lucas noticed, and he tried to get Mike to play pong with him, but Mike was horrendously bad, and the other team obliterated them. It made Mike’s cheeks burn with shame, and he left to subject himself to Dustin and Max’s drunk dancing. At least letting them push him around to Britney Spears while El and Will laughed and twirled each other around much more tamely made him feel a little better.

But then the night took a sharp turn south. 

There Mike was, trying not to topple over as his shorter friends jumped around him, when he looked up to search for Lucas. Maybe he would help Mike escape. But as soon as Mike found him, it became crystal clear that running to Lucas was not an option. Because he was busy making out with one of the guys on the cheerleading team.

Mike’s head spun. He hadn’t even known Lucas  _ liked  _ guys, not really. Sure, he’d mentioned something in passing once that made Mike’s ears perk up, but he’d never mentioned it again, never explicitly, and Mike wasn’t gonna push it. But this… this was not how Mike wanted to find out. And he also never needed to know that Lucas’s type was apparently cheerleaders. Fuck, he liked graceful, flexible, fit, cool people. Of course he fucking did. Who didn’t? 

Mike made up an excuse about finding a bathroom and broke away from his friends, rushing to a door, any door that would take him outside. The air inside was too stale; he needed something fresh, he needed to catch his breath and not vomit and maybe cry. Why did he need to cry? He didn’t. He was just… upset that Lucas didn’t tell him. Yeah. 

His legs carried him away from the party, the music getting quieter and quieter until he was down the street and couldn’t hear it anymore. He knew he shouldn’t go far, his friends needed him to drive them home, but there was an elementary school just a block away, and he really needed a place to sit that wasn’t on some random family’s lawn. He barely registered the world around him as sidewalk became soccer field, as the streetlights gave way to a night much darker. For whatever reason, he made a beeline for those seats that spin around. Probably a horribly dangerous thing to give children. An even worse thing to give drunk people; Mike was glad no one at the party had seemed to have the same idea as him yet. He collapsed onto the too-small seat and let his toes drag through the woodchips, holding on tight to the sides as he rocked slowly back and forth. He’d have to go back soon. But he couldn’t just then. In that moment, he just needed to sit his ass down on an elementary school playground and look at the stars while slowly spinning around. He needed to keep himself from driving home and leaving all his friends without a ride.  _ God, _ he just wanted to fucking go home. 

Dustin ended up drunk calling him a few minutes later, and Mike had to make up some excuse about the line for the bathroom being too long and needing to pee in a bush. He took a deep breath before standing up, the night air helping to calm his racing heart. But his feet were unsteady as he stood and began walking back, and he had a feeling that a few deep breaths weren’t really gonna fix this problem. 

The way El and Dustin hugged him when he returned made him feel a little better, and at least Lucas had returned to the group, apparently done sucking face with that cheerleader guy. Still though, Mike couldn’t look at him without feeling sick. 

“There you are!” Lucas beamed. As if he had been looking for him.

Mike busied himself with gently shrugging El and Dustin off so he could go to Will, who was swaying on his feet, a far off look in his eyes. Mike put an arm around his shoulders, and he immediately leaned into Mike’s side. Will gave him an unfocused smile. “You okay?” Mike asked. When Will nodded he continued, “You ready to go home?” Will nodded again, and Mike looked up to consult the group. “Everyone ready to go?” Max gave an indignant whine, but El and Dustin nodded, and Lucas slung his arm around Max’s shoulders and steered her toward the door. Mike followed, helping Will down the stairs and into the car. If he was being honest he probably didn’t need to, but he needed to feel needed just then. 

He did the rounds, made sure everyone got in safe with reminders to not sleep on their backs, until it was just him and Lucas, drawing patterns on the passenger side window. “So?” Lucas asked with a grin.

“What?” Mike bristled.

“Did you have fun?”

Mike’s stomach turned. “Seemed like you did.”

Lucas gave him a look. “Yeah.”

Mike really tried to bite it back, but he had to know. “Who even was that guy?”

Lucas smirked. “You mean Andy?”

“If Andy is the cheerleader you were making out with, then yeah. Are you like… are you into him?”

Lucas shrugged. “He’s cute. He was a pretty okay kisser.” God, as if Lucas was kissing all these people Mike didn’t even know. Fuck,  _ was  _ he? “Where did you run off to?”

“I had to pee,” Mike murmured. Lucas gave a small laugh and teased him, poking him until he was swatting him away, a reluctant smile fighting its way onto his face. 

“I’m sorry you were sober, man,” Lucas said, settling back down. “We’ll get you trashed next time.”

“Yeah, sounds fun,” Mike said. He really tried to make it convincing, but he wasn’t sure it worked. 

They were pulling up to Lucas’s house now, but it wasn’t at all the scene Mike had pictured the day before. He didn’t want Lucas to linger right now. He really just wanted to be in bed. Luckily, Lucas got out pretty quickly, shooting Mike a slightly slurred thank you for driving before closing the door, leaving Mike to himself.

It ate at Mike for days, and he was pretty sure it showed, but he didn’t care. Max asked him about, but she always knew when there was something bothering him. She could tell because he acted the same way she acted when she was upset. But he brushed her off, probably a little more harshly than necessary, and she dropped it. El bought him a cookie at lunch and rested her head on his shoulder, but didn’t say anything, which Mike was grateful for. 

He appreciated it, he really did, but none of it helped. He couldn’t get the image of Lucas’s hands on that guy’s waist out of his mind. Looking at Lucas, knowing Lucas wasn’t looking back at him and seeing in Mike what Mike saw in him, was almost unbearable. So he didn’t.

The final breaking point came that Friday. They were all gathered around Will’s locker, discussing their weekend plans, when Lucas casually dropped that he wouldn’t be able to come to the arcade with them that weekend.

“What?” Mike blurted, unable to stop himself. He hated that he could hear the way his voice broke, that it was probably obvious to everyone around him.

Lucas was clearly taken aback, but his skeptical expression softened as he said, “I’m sorry, man, but the guys are going to this Halloween fest thing and it’s kind of an all day thing, I won’t be back until late.”

Mike’s blood was boiling. His throat was closing up. He hadn’t looked at Lucas more than a handful of times that week, but now he couldn’t look away. “But… but you  _ said _ …” Mike’s voice broke again. He didn’t know where that sentence was going. He said what? He never said anything. They had never  _ had  _ to say anything before, it was an unspoken agreement that Saturday was arcade day with the party. 

“Mike, we always go to the arcade on Saturday.” Lucas had a sympathetic look on his face that just made Mike angrier.

“Exactly! We  _ always  _ go to the arcade on Saturday!” He was getting hysterical now, he knew it, but he was helpless to it.

“I’ll be there next Saturday,” Lucas tried.

“Will you?”

Mike turned and broke out of the group, striding down the hallway. He was done with this conversation. He was done with Lucas bailing on them. If he wanted to replace them so bad he could just do it, he didn’t have to draw it out like some kind of fucking sadist. His cheeks burned as he heard Lucas call after him, then Dustin’s quiet, “Let him go, man.” Mike wasn’t sure if he was happy or furious or heartbroken that none of them followed him. The solitude of his car helped him breathe a little easier, but he probably shouldn’t have been driving, because his heart was racing and there were tears forming behind his eyes and he had that urge to throw and punch and kick things that he got whenever he was hurting. 

He got to his house in one piece and ignored his mom when she asked him why he was home on a Friday afternoon. He slammed his door shut and threw himself down on his bed. 

And that’s where he was Saturday morning, lying in his bed kicking absently up at the top bunk. That’s what he was doing when he heard a knock on the door. “I’m not hungry,” he called. He heaved an exasperated sigh when the door opened anyway. “Mom, I don’t—”

“Not your mom.” Mike sat up, his heart in his throat. Lucas was standing in the doorway, was stepping in and closing the door behind him. And he had a fucking smile on his face. “At least, according to  _ Maury _ .”

“Funny,” Mike said blandly as he sat up. “What do you want? Aren’t you supposed to be on a hayride with  _ the guys  _ right now?” He didn’t wanna sneer at him, but he’d never had much control over things like that. 

Lucas shrugged and leaned against Mike’s dresser, his arms crossed. “I wanted to talk to you.”

Mike froze. “About what?”

“About what?” Lucas scoffed. “About that way you threw a tantrum yesterday. About the fact that you’ve barely spoken to me since the party on Saturday.” 

Mike shook his head. God, that fucking party. “You didn’t wanna talk to me when you had your tongue down that guy’s throat.” 

A moment of tense silence passed between them, Mike’s bitter tone hanging in the air. “Is that why you’re mad? Because I made out with a guy?” The hurt in Lucas’s voice made all of Mike’s anger disappear in an instant.

“What? No! Of course not, you think I’d be mad about that?”

“Well then what’s your issue? What did I do wrong?” His voice was rising now, and that only made Mike feel more panicked. His room felt too small. How was he supposed to explain?

“I miss you.” Mike had wanted to scream it, but it came out sounding just as small and vulnerable as he was feeling.

Lucas’s face fell, his eyes scanning over Mike’s, trying to decipher what he was saying. “I’m right here, man. I’m not ditching you. I’ve got some new friends now, that doesn’t mean I don’t want you around. Nothing has to change.”

“But everything already  _ has _ changed!” Mike broke. He couldn’t help the tears that were gathering in his eyes now. “I used to know… We used to… You know so many people I don’t now, and they’re  _ cool _ , and I used to know everything about you and now you’re kissing guys, you’re kissing guys who are hot and cool like you. You’re my best friend, and I was yours but now you’re gonna outgrow me and you’ll never… I never… and now I can’t…” Mike was crying hard now, so hard he didn’t realize Lucas was kneeling in front of him until he felt Lucas’s hands on his forearms, gently pulling his hands away from his face so that he could wipe Mike’s tears away. Mike hiccuped and blinked as Lucas came somewhat into focus in front of him.

“Mike… you’ll always be my best friend. Yeah, some things are changing, but that’s not.”

Lucas’s soft tone helped, but they were just words. And besides, there was something else Mike wanted, something that was getting farther and farther from him, and he didn’t know what to do about it. He felt like he was stuck on one of those conveyor belts in the airport but it was going the wrong direction, and he didn’t know how to get off or go back. His heart was racing, and he was gonna start crying again, panicked. Panicked about Lucas kissing someone else, about him wanting other people. How could Mike make him understand? He shouldn’t, he knew he shouldn’t, but if it was his last chance, if it was the only way to make Lucas understand—

So then his hands were on Lucas’s face, and he was bringing their lips together with all of the hurry and panic and adrenaline he was feeling. He reeled back just as fast, slamming himself against the wall behind him, looking at Lucas’s surprised face in horror. “Oh god, fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Mike,” Lucas said firmly, his hands finding Mike’s wrists again. He pulled Mike gently back toward him and cupped his face.

“Yeah?” Mike’s voice was small and watery, shaking like his hands had been until Lucas steadied them, his hands strong and gentle at the same time.

Lucas smiled then. Something like wonder was passing through his eyes, slowly, as he met Mike’s eyes. “I… I liked—yeah, will you do that again?”

Mike eyebrows shot up behind his fringe. “Seriously?”

“Yeah” Lucas nodded, sweet and awkward smile on his face. And wow, Mike never thought he’d see the day  _ he  _ made Lucas  _ flustered _ . But he got through his shock and leaned forward, tentatively this time, and brought their lips back together.

And wow. It was perfect. It was soft and unsure at first, and Mike’s eyes were open as he watched Lucas’s reaction. But once Lucas started kissing him back Mike let his eyes flutter shut, let himself sink into it. He let himself focus only on the way Lucas was kissing him, the way his hands felt cradling Mike’s face. He ran his hands lightly over Lucas’s arms, admiring the muscles that lay under the soft fabric of his shirt. Once they both got the hang of it, their lips began to lock together, the kiss deepening. Mike twisted Lucas’s shirt between his fingers. Eventually Lucas pulled away, and Mike took a moment before opening his eyes, his lips still parted, seeking more. 

“Wow… I did not know you felt the same way,” Lucas said, smiling and flushed.

Mike shook his head, a disbelieving smile on his lips. “I think I always have.”

They both laughed and kissed each other again, just a few soft pecks, still getting used to it.

“So…” Lucas said with a teasing smirk, running his hand over Mike’s chest, “what was that you were saying about me being hot and cool?”

“Oh, fuck off,” Mike groaned, his cheeks on fire as he slung his pillow at Lucas. God, he missed this, the sight of Lucas laughing on his bedroom floor. He was looking forward to even more mornings like this, and afternoons, and nights. 

Max had a field day on Monday when Mike came into school practically drowning in Lucas’s varsity jacket, but Mike didn’t even mind. He never thought he’d be dating a football player, but as Lucas wrapped his arms around him, strong and sure, the smell of his laundry detergent sticking to the jacket all day as Mike went from class to class, he figured maybe sometimes change could be nice.


End file.
